Mt Baker -Tomorrow is the Climb

This message is being sent illegally from some hotel lobby in Seattle. Not a very heroic way of communicating my last blog before the climb but the truth none the least. The hotel that I am actually currently staying at does not have a business center. The redeeming factor is that my own friendly, rather modest inn is close to the offices of Alpine Ascents and, thus, satisfies my anxiety disorder. I want to be sure to get to gear check promptly at 2PM today, so I have been pacing up and down the street in front of their offices for the last two days. Makes sense? I really felt that I needed to write this blog. Thus, I walked until I could find a hotel with computer access. Signed in at the desk and voila. They assumed I was a guest and never asked.

After gear check this afternoon at the Alpine Ascents office, I will drive my rental car (not an XK8 Jag!) to a motel outside of Mt Baker National Park. I will there unload all my equipment, check to be sure all is in order, and repack my Denali Pro backpack in hopefully some practical way. My objective is to minimize the weight of the pack by any means possible. That means thinking in terms of ounces not pounds. One protein bar, for instance, is 3 ounces. How many protein bars do I actually need? Tried to figure out the most usable calories per unit weight and load up on that substance. Trail mix with nuts seem to be the best option. It is principally because of the dehydration process which makes it the most efficient means of energy delivery. Beef jerky is another example of the way in which removing water weight may be beneficial in reducing weight. I also loaded up on nutrient/electrolyte mixes to add to my drinking water. An interesting article in the NY Times Science section several days ago pointed out that energy levels in a randomized study increased 18% in those individuals who drank caloric mixes during exercises vs those who drank only water.

Yesterday, my biggest dilemma was deciding on whether or not to include a summit pack to my gear. The latter is a small backpack that I will use on the day I climb to the peak and obviates the need for my more weighty expedition-oriented Denali Pro. The latter is designed to get all my gear to base camp. There were several summit pack options to choose from. Comparisons were made between one weighing 24 ounces (30 liter volume) vs another weighing 13 ounces (18 liter volume). I chose the former so that I would not be short changed on space for any lifesaving clothing or equipment. I was hesitant, however, because of the extra 11 ounces, a humongous weight addition. After packing, I plan to get to bed early. I am to be at the trail head at 7AM.

The trip here to Seattle was fairly uneventful. Read an interesting book on the plane called "No Way Down: Life and Death on K2". For those of you who might not know, K2 is in the Karakorum mountain range on the border of Pakistan and China. It is the second tallest peak in the world, 800 feet lower than Everest but a far more treacherous climb. The true account by a New York Times journalist, Graham Bowley(spelling?), took place in 2008 when 11 climbers from an international expedition lost their lives. They were cut off during a descent from the summit of K2 by an ice fall which destroyed their rope lines. I read to try to understand any important message that could be used for my own upcoming mountaineering adventures. After finishing the book, I am not sure there really is one. Stuff happens and that is that. Mountaineering books tend to run in the same vein. Serious works about individuals lost, injured, or otherwise. There needs to be a different perspective. My own little mountaineering blog started three months ago and has been an experience in and of itself. Will plan on continuing the writing effort in some form after the climb is over. Still, however, searching for the right genre - adventure, humour, mystery, love story, fiction, non-fiction, or some sort of strange hybrid.

Anyway, time to go and sample some different nutrient drinking mixes. Thanks to those who bothered to read this and wish me luck.